Kevin McCarthy, the House speaker, defied his doubters for 269 days. Despite facing humiliating defeats, McCarthy managed to hold on to become speaker and narrowly averted national-debt default and a government shutdown. He expressed his determination to reporters and pleaded with his party to keep him in his post.
But today, McCarthy’s streak of defying skeptics came to an end. A group of his GOP critics, along with Democrats, voted him out of the speakership after less than nine months in office. This unprecedented move could cause a paralysis in the House as the deadline for funding the federal government looms.
It remains uncertain if McCarthy will reclaim the gavel in a new election triggered by his removal. His tenure as House speaker was historic and short-lived, with more ballots fought over than any speaker in a century. He is the first speaker to be removed by a House vote in the middle of a term.
Many of McCarthy’s predecessors faced low expectations when assuming the speakership. His rise through GOP leadership left him with a lightweight image and few convictions. Governing his majority proved challenging, with a slim margin and hard-liners pushing for confrontation rather than compromise. In an ironic twist, McCarthy handed his opponents the means to remove him when he traded away his power during the election.
Representative Matt Gaetz, McCarthy’s harshest Republican critic, made the speaker’s ouster his mission. Gaetz persuaded seven Republicans to join him in voting for McCarthy’s removal. Democrats were faced with the dilemma of whether the known speaker was a safer choice compared to an unknown replacement. However, they ultimately decided that McCarthy was not worth saving, with all 208 Democrats voting for his removal.
McCarthy’s tenure was marked by right-leaning decisions, including forgiving former President Donald Trump for his role in the Capitol insurrection and launching an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. Democrats urged members to support McCarthy’s removal as speaker to end the House Republican Civil War.
Although McCarthy almost survived due to Democrats struggling to gather enough members for the crucial votes, he faced too many defections within his own party. The process began with a vote to clear the way for McCarthy’s ouster, with eleven Republicans joining the Democrats. With a 216-210 roll call, Representative Steve Womack officially declared the speakership vacant.
No obvious successor has emerged, with McCarthy’s top lieutenant, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, undergoing cancer treatment. Other potential alternatives include Majority Whip Tom Emmer and GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, but neither has actively campaigned for the position.
McCarthy, ever the optimist, seemed to sense that his luck and political survival were running out before the votes. He defended his decision to keep the government open, even if it meant losing his job. He warned that removing a speaker for averting a government shutdown would lead to a detrimental situation for the House and the nation.
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